Graphic by Summer Sit ‘25
By Sarah Grinnell ’26
Books Editor
Are you stuck in a reading slump? Is doom-scrolling through ten consecutive BookToks about “A Court of Thorns and Roses” getting you down?
Refresh your To-Be-Read list this semester with Reads of MoHo, a compiled list of books that Mount Holyoke College students read over winter break. Gathered from survey responses, the eclectic range of books these students read spanned countless genres in true liberal arts fashion. So whether you enjoy historical fiction, romance, non-fiction or classics, there is sure to be something for every reader in this list.
Fantasy was by far the most popular genre with students over break. With no shortage of magic, necromancy, dragons and queer characters, these books will make great next reads. Whether you are looking to start a new series, like R.F. Kuang’s “The Poppy War,” or simply read a standalone novel, such as “The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle, the fantasy genre has it all.
If traipsing through magical worlds is not your speed, there were plenty of recommendations for literary fiction as well. The genre had much variety, with speculative comedies like Justin Taylor’s “Reboot,” a “Huckleberry Finn” retelling by Percival Everett and character-driven stories like “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray.
While it can be daunting to find time to read a book for pleasure as assignments begin to pile up, one great way to squeeze in some extra reading time outside of classes is reading short stories, such as “The Stories of Eva Luna” by Isabel Allende or Chelsea Bieker’s “Heart Broke.” Or, if you are a fan of comics and manga, “Hush” by Jeff Loeb and Jim Lee and “Trigun” by Yasuhiro Nightow received strong stamps of approval.
Additional responses included a novel by Jane Austen, a memoir by Joan Didion, multiple nonfiction stories with eco-related themes and more. Read the full list below for a complete taste of everything Mount Holyoke students read over break, and maybe discover your new favorite book along the way!
“The Priory of the Orange Tree” by Samantha Shannon
“The Irish Girl” by Ashley E. Sweeney
“The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray
“The Vegetarian” by Han Kang
“Tress of the Emerald Sea” by Brandon Sanderson
“Emma” by Jane Austen
“Nona the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir
“Make My Wish Come True” by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
“The Poppy War” by R. F. Kuang
“Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree
“The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle
“All the Stars in the Heavens” by Adriana Trigiani
“White Teeth” by Zadie Smith
“Hush” by Jeff Loeb and Jim Lee
“The Bone Season” by Samantha Shannon
“Among Others” by Jo Walton
“Batman: City of Madness” by Christian J. Ward
“Trigun” by Yasuhiro Nightow
“Reboot” by Justin Taylor
“The Stories of Eva Luna” by Isabel Allende
“The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion
“Three Women” by Lisa Taddeo
“Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance and the Essence of Wildness” by Al Cambronne
“The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth” by E.O. Wilson
“Heart Broke” by Chelsea Bieker
“Waterfall Girls” by Kimberly White
“Russian Gothic” by Aleksandr Skorobogatov
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte
“VALIS” by Philip K. Dick
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Three Keys by Laura Pritchett
Leah Dutcher ’28 contributed fact-checking.